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Rare Porsche heads for Silverstone auction

A rare and unassuming 1992 Porsche 911 (964) RS Touring will be one of the first cars to grace the Silverstone Auctions Porsche Sale taking place at the Wing, Silverstone on 21st October. Only 11 such cars have ever been made, fewer still that are in right-hand-drive.

Porsche started selling the car to customers as a way to homologate the model for the Porsche Carrera Cup race series. Customers could choose between two different variants, namely the Sport and Touring. Though lighter and more bare-bones than the Touring, the Sport wasn’t as appealing to many customers.

It’s punishing ride quality and stripped out interior wasn’t to everyone’s tastes. Rather, the Touring variant with its more refined equipment, sound proofing and creature comforts similar to that in the Carrera, made it the favoured choice.

Compared to the standard 964, the RS Touring had a blueprinted 3600cc air-cooled engine, lowered and stiffened suspension, ‘Uniball’ top strut mounts, strengthened engine and gearbox mounts, and uprated brakes.

Though fewer weight saving measures were carried out on the RS Touring compared to the Sport, the former still managed to be lighter than the standard 964. Porsche worked on the engine by re-chipping the engine management system and fitting a lighter, single mass flywheel.

Though the improvements only added 10bhp to the overall performance, the engine’s torque was significantly higher than that found in the standard car. As such, it’s a nimble sports car that is able to hold its own on racetracks.

The RS Touring that is up for sale sports a black body colour, black interior, sports leather seats with triple colour inlays, tinted windscreen and a sunroof, as well as unique magnesium 17-inch wheels rims and low-profile Michelin N3 tyres.

Earlier on, certain performance upgrades were carried out on the car by JZ in King’s Langley, which included a “de-cat system and Supply and fit performance chip.” As a result, power is now rated at 279 bhp at 5909 rpm.

“This is a very special Porsche, the rarest of the rare,” declares Guy Lees-Milne, general manager of Silverstone Auctions. “These cars are actively sought after by serious Porsche collectors all over the world, and this is a truly superb example.”

Current estimates peg the asking price for this particular 964 RS Touring at £185,000 (RM1,048,211) – £210,000 (RM1,189,861), which is a significant amount of money for that has not isn’t really a classic Porsche. If you would like to know more about this or the auction, please visit www.silverstoneauctions.com

Hyundai elect new leader for USA division

Hyundai has elected to promote one of its most trusted senior executives of global operations to the position of president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. Kyung Soo (Kenny) Lee, will be responsible for Hyundai’s U.S. sales and marketing.

The Korean automaker has tabled September 18th as the day Lee will take over president and CEO duties. He will occupy the position left vacant by Jerry Flannery who has now returned as the company’s executive vice president, chief legal and safety officer.

Speaking of the new appointment, Won-hee (Wayne) Lee, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor Company, said “Lee has an in-depth understanding of Hyundai Motor’s global operation, following nearly two decades in diverse markets around the world, including the U.S., Europe and Latin America.”

He was later quoted as saying, “I would like to personally thank Jerry Flannery for his leadership and the stability he brought the organization while serving as interim president and CEO.”

Lee, now 61 years of age, has had a long an illustrious carrier at Hyundai that began in 1982 The most recent position that hed held before being appointed as head honcho of Hyundai USA was, president and CEO of Hyundai Translead, a manufacturer of dry and refrigerated van trailers, container chassis and converter dollies.

According to Hyundai, here Lee played vital roles for more than 10 years adding to his expertise in overseas markets. These credentials, the company says, made him the favoured candidate to take on the top job. That said, he has a heavy weight on his shoulders.

Now, he will be tasked with leading Hyundai’s charge against domestic brands such as Ford, GM and Chrysler while still ensuring that it remains competitive enough to fend off the upstart Chinese makers who have managed to undercut it at its own game.

Jaguar ‘Game of Drones’ aims to prove XJL’s spaciousness

Jaguar has picked an unconventional way to prove how capacious its XJ’s cabin can be through the use of drones. The automaker staged a remote-controlled drone race called ‘Game of Drones’ to demonstrate how much room its flagship long-wheelbase saloon has to offer.

As part of the race, these high-speed mini aircraft, that were piloted by professional drone racers, flew through three cars on a course that was marked out with 13 gates that were the same shape as an XJL rear door.
Considered a marketing ploy, the drones that were travelling at close to 100km/h had to navigate their way through the door-shaped gates lit in Phosphor Blue and Red to highlight two of the XJ’s interior lighting options.

Speaking of this unique drone race, Brett Collis, a champion drone pilot, said, “I’ve been racing drones in competition for years, but this is a first for me. The course was a great test, but the fact we were able to go at such speeds proves how much space the doors of the Jaguar XJL gave us.”

“Despite having to fly through the cabin we were still pushing the drones to their top speeds,” He later added. These ‘to close for comfort’ drone maneuvers were executed to demonstrate the difference that it makes to have five extra inches of legroom with the long-wheelbase car, that that offered with the base car.

Jaguar’s XJ is the largest four door saloon that the company makes and it boasts an ‘exquisite’ interior that is bestowed with the latest technology. It also features airline style reclining seats with massage function, increased headroom, fold-out tables and specially tuned rear suspension to enhance ride comfort.

The car is also equipped with full LED headlights, all-wheel drive and All Surface Progress Control (ASPC), as well as the latest Touch Pro infotainment system. It’s basically Britain’s ultra luxury answer to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series.

Currently, the XJL and its more powerful sibling, the XJR575 are built at Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle Bromwich plant alongside the XE, XF and F-TYPE. In recent years, the model has helped bolster the company’s yearly sales.

New season of Wheeler Dealer to premiere for 200 guests in November

The new season of the ever popular classic car restoration show, Wheeler Dealers, will be back on tv screens for a brand new season. Unlike before, the show will go on without the venerable Ed China. The restoration guru had a falling out with the show’s producers regarding filming, which resulted in his departure.

Known for his meticulous attention to detail, China has always ensured that viewers were well informed of the actual work that goes into each vehicle. This, he believed would enable them to be better informed when dealing with similar problems on their own. Due to a difference in views regarding filming, Ed China decided to leave the longstanding automotive show.

And as such, for this and future seasons, classic car restorer Ant Anstead will take over where Ed had left of. He joins the Wheeler Dealer’s stalwart host, Mike Brewer as he hunts for classic bargains that the duo will purchase, restore and then flip for a reasonable profit. Despite how many avid fans of the show might feel, the changes may offer some interesting twists.

The show’s first episode will be viewed by about 200 guests in the UK at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, on Saturday 11th November. Classic motoring enthusiasts are being given the chance to win two tickets in a prize draw which sees them automatically entered when booking their show tickets before Thursday 26 October.

Both Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead will be present during the viewing, which will allow them to conduct meet and greet sessions with fans shortly after the show. The designer of the vehicle featured in the first episode will also be present during the viewing, though Discovery has chosen to be coy about the exact details.

Speaking of the new show and partner, Mike Brewer said, “Making Wheeler Dealers with a new partner and thousands of miles away from our native country is difficult, but the reward is bringing one of the world’s biggest and greatest car shows to the screen.”

He later added, “We are immensely proud of our efforts and we are excited to share the new look Wheeler Dealers with a live UK audience for the first time ever. The show has more mechanical content than ever before and both Ant and I are thrilled with what we believe is a ground breaking build.”

This news has us excited and though Ed China will be greatly missed, the new shake up could prove to be a positive decision as it adds a fresh perspective on the show. Stay tuned and we will let you know more as soon as we find out.

Mercedes-Benz pick up new award for C-Class and S-Class models

Mercedes-Benz’s C-Class has been hnoured at the first ever BusinessCar awards. It won the ‘Best Premium Car’ title while its bigger brother the S-Class, was named the winner of the ‘Best Luxury Car’ category.

According to the automaker, both of its models received their respective accolades due to exceptional comfort levels, technology and competitive monthly running costs. Adding to that, the S-Class also had a ‘luxurious and unrivaled interior’ something that isn’t said often due to the relatively stiff competition faced at this side of the segment.

Regarding this, Rob East, Head of Fleet, Mercedes-Benz Cars UK, said, “Both the C-Class and S-Class are perfect examples of what Mercedes-Benz does best, combining unbeatable comfort with competitive running costs, plus excellent interior quality. It’s great to see these strengths being recognised by key members of the Fleet industry.”

The editor of BusinessCar stated that the reason that the C-Class trounced the competition was due to the fact that it had set a high bar when it came to comfort, tech and efficiencies, as well as having strong residual value. This means that on paper at least, buying a C-Class over other rival models makes more sense from a consumer’s prespective.

In recent years, Mercedes-Benz has been producing some of the best cars the automotive world has to offer. The styling of the new models are pretty clean and attractive, which is complemented by equally sophisticated and forward-thinking tech. This combination has allowed the German based automaker to bag awards from different competitions.

This momentum doesn’t seem to be ending soon as the automaker has revealed plans and concept vehicles that might turn the automotive world upside down. One thing is for sure, This level of competition could only mean one thing, the cars that will be made available soon, will offer us more bang-per-buck than in previous years.

McLaren and Honda end troubled F1 partnership

McLaren’s Formula 1 team and its engine supplier for the past two and half years, Honda, have decided to part ways after a dismal run of performance since the partnership was forged in 2015. Since switching from Mercedes-Benz powered engines to the Honda ones, McLaren hasn’t been the same.

The team have found themselves closer to the back of the grid, competing with teams that lacked the same technology funding, and driver talent than what the British based automaker had at its disposal. Despite having one of the most talented drivers of this era in Fernando Alonso, the team has failed to impress.

Plagued by constant reliability issues, the under powered Honda units have caused McLaren and Alonso, a great deal of grief. So much so that the Spaniard delivered an ultimatum to his team by stating, if things did not improve soon, he would leave in search of other opportunities.

After allowing all this to sink in, both teams have decided, in a complicated manner, to break-up and go their separate ways. As part of the deal, McLaren will receive Renault engines for the 2018 season, Toro Rosso will switch to Honda power and its driver, Carlos Sainz Jr., would be loaned to the Renault F1 team for the 2018 season.

It’s a complicated break up but it’s one that might allow McLaren to get back to its winning ways. This is especially sad considering that this same partnership allowed Mclaren a great deal of success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Any hopes of both teams rekindling that same success of their glory days will never be realized in the near future.

How well these new partnerships pan out remains to be seen, but rumour has it that Honda might introduce a more powerful engine for the 2018 season. If proven true, McLaren might have jumped the gun by switching to Renault power and allowing Toro Rosso to benefit from its R&D with Honda.

Source: F1.com